Lines Drawn
by GreenLily474
Summary: Most of the office is furious at Andy, Pam, Kelly, and Darryl for their whistle blowing. They are angry at Michael for not reprimanded them. they are also angry at Erin, Jim, and a returning Holly for standing up for the whistle blowers. Lines are drawn.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_AN: Just some thoughts on what season 7 could be like and I'm seeing if I can finish this before September._

Andy looked up to see Phyllis, Stanley, and Angela glaring at him from the Elevator, but his smile didn't falter.

"What are you happy about?" asked Phyllis coldly. "Did you get a cash reward from the press or something?"

Andy ignored her and headed for the stairs. Erin was happy with him. He could take whatever crap the rest threw at him.

Michael sat back in his chair pondering the possibility of Holly coming back. He'd been in several relationships over the years, but he'd only been truly happy when he was with her. He could be himself around her. He felt nervous not knowing how Holly would feel if she was transferred back to Scranton. He didn't even know if she was still with AJ.

"Michael, do you need anything else before I go home?" asked Erin as she entered his office carrying some faxed paperwork. Michael looked at her thoughtfully.

"Yes I do, actually," said Michael. "Grab a piece of paper and a pen, Erin. We're going to do some brain storming."

"Alright," said Erin cheerfully. She ran to her desk and got a note pad.

"You don't mind staying, do you?" asked Michael. Erin shook her head.

"I love brain storming," she said.

"Excellent!" said Michael. Maybe it was the thought of Holly returning energizing him or the desire to prevent any of his employees from losing their jobs, but Michael felt a very strong desire to do his job extremely well all of the sudden. "Sabre just had a public relations nightmare. We need to figure out how to turn this situation around and make this company more successful than it has ever."

"There is a positive to the leak," said Erin as she thought of Andy and the trouble he was in with most of the Scranton employees.

"Let's hear it," said Michael eagerly.

"Well," said Erin. "Before the Press found out Sabre only recalled the printers that had already caught fire."

"Yes?" said Michael curiously.

"It's possible there were a lot more effected printers that the company didn't know about. What if one or more of those had caught fire and someone had been hurt or killed? That would have been much worse. Now the company can really improve the quality of the printers. They could even move the factories back to the states and create some jobs here. That could help the economy."

Michael looked thoughtfully at Erin. The girl was dim as could be sometimes, but occasionally said some very intelligent things.

"Are you worried about Andy?" he asked. Erin bit her lip.

"He didn't mean to cause trouble for anyone," she said nervously. "I mean someone could have really gotten hurt."

"Nothing's going to happen to him, Erin, I promise." Erin gave Michael a relieved smile. "Besides, he wasn't the only whistle blower. Pam, Darryl, and Kelly all leaked information too. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the clients went to the press as well."

"Really?"

"Yes. At least Andy had good intentions when he sent the email. I'm not sure I could say the same for everyone else."

"It's too bad BP didn't have a whistle blower before they caused the biggest oil spill ever," said Erin. She'd been a small child when the Exxon oil spill of 1989 had occurred in Alaska, but never thought she'd see anything that bad again. As someone who loved animals the oil spill in the gulf mad her particularly angry.

Thinking of Holly again, Michael decided to change the subject.

"Are you getting back together with Andy?"

"I-I don't know. I mean we haven't talked about it. After the way I freaked out, I'm not sure he'd want to."

"Oh, he wants to." said Michael. "Believe me."

"How do you know?" asked Erin.

"I've seen the way he looks at you. I know that look. It's how I look at..."

"How you look at who?"

Michael considered Erin for a moment. He never thought of her as someone he'd talk to about this kind of thing, but he had to talk to someone. Erin, at the very least, would not judge him.

"Holly. Holly Flax."

"The woman you did the sketch with at the company picnic last year?"

"Yes. She worked at this branch about two years ago. I wanted to ask her out for the longest time. When we finally did start to date I was happier than I'd ever been, but she got transferred to Nashua. I've spent every single day since wishing I'd asked her out sooner. I wasted too much time. Last year at the company picnic, I wanted to tell her how I felt and couldn't. If you want to get back together with Andy, you shouldn't waste any more time."

Holly stared at the email. She couldn't believe it. She was transferring back to Scranton at the end of June. Michael had been the reason she had called off her wedding with AJ, yet she'd never been able to pick up the phone and call him. Soon she'd be working with him again. She felt both excited and anxious at the same time.

Holly took a deep breath and found her resolution. She picked up her cell phone and clicked down to Michael's number.

"Holly?" Michael's voice came over the speaker. Holly hesitated for a moment not knowing what to say before deciding to fall into her comfort zone.

"Darn, how'd you know it was me? I thought I was being so subtle." Holly joked.

"You _were_ being subtle," said Michael. "I just have a seventh sense about these things."

Erin finished Andy's letter he'd instructed her not to read unless something happened to him. Technically something had happened in that most of the office had turned on him so she really hadn't gone against his wishes. Erin wiped a tear from her eye. She couldn't remember anyone in her live caring for her like Andy did. He was the only person who had ever said 'I love you' to her. She couldn't even recall her own family members ever saying that in what little memories she had of them. Maybe Michael was right. She shouldn't waste any more time, but she was scared.

Erin hesitated for a moment before deciding to pick up the phone.

"Erin?"came Andy's eager yet nervous voice over the phone after only one ring.

"Hi, Andy."

"Hey." Andy paused. "What's up?"

"Can you come over?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"So _you_ made the public apology for Jo Bennett?" Holly asked.

"Yep, it's up on Youtube. Check it out," said Michael eagerly.

"Sure," said Holly. "Maybe if I play it enough times, and get five people to watch it and they each get five people to watch it, we can make you a Youtube star."

Michael's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. That wasn't a bad idea, but there were more pressing matters.

"How's the chair pants design coming? That should be a hit," said Holly.

"It's finished in my head. I just need to get it on paper," said Michael. "That part's a lot harder than it sounds."

"I have faith in you, Michael Scott," said Holly.

$$$$$$$$$$ %%%%%%%%% &&&&&&&&&&

"Let's not be too long," said Pam. "I really want to get home to Cece."

"Just a few minutes," said Jim. "I promise. We need to unwind a bit before we go home; especially after the day we've had."

"I can't believe I risked my job for some stupid gossip," said Pam as the two of them enter MacDuffy's.

"It's over now," said Jim. "Besides, we really don't know exactly how the press found out. It could have been a client for all we know."

"I suppose," said Pam. "I still feel really bad though."

"It's the people who ignored safety standards to cut cost in the first place who should feel bad," came a familiar voice from behind them.

"Hey Darryl, what's up?" asked Jim.

Darryl shrugged. "Just letting some steam off. You guys up for a quick game of pool?"

"I'd love to," said Pam.

"Hey Jim, Pam, Darryl come over here!" yelled Phyllis from across the bar. The three of them looked over to see Phyllis with her husband Bob, Meredith, Angela, Stanley, Kevin, and an uncomfortable Oscar.

"What's going on?" asked Pam as she reached the table with Jim and Darryl.

"We're just trying to figure out what we should do with Andy," said Phyllis. "He really screwed us over."

"Maybe we should lay off Andy," said Jim. "Besides, we don't even know if it was his email that tipped off the press. An angry client might have tipped off the press."

"He almost cost us all our jobs!" said Angela.

"And he cost us half our clients," said Stanley. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Doesn't it bother _you_ that you were making huge commissions selling unsafe products?" said Darryl. "Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. What if a printer had started a fire at your daughter's school?"

"Sabre fixed everything," said Stanley. "No one needed to find out."

"What exactly do you want to do to Andy?" asked Pam.

"Just make life at the office miserable for him and maybe he'll decide to quit," said Phyllis.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," said Jim. "Andy's gone out of his way at one point or another to help each of us and you guys just want to drive him out?"

"This from the guy who hid his cell phone in the ceiling and caused him to punch a hole through the wall," said Stanley.

"I went too far," said Jim. "I admit it."

"_Andy _went too far," said Angela.

"Yeah, he royally screwed us," said Kevin.

"He's not the only one," said Darryl. "I told a reporter in a bar. So if you want to drive Andy out, you'd better work on driving me out too."

"And me!" said Pam. "I told someone too!"

"What?" cried Phyllis.

"You can't make sale, so you wanted to make sure none of the rest of us did either?" asked Stanley.

"Watch it!" said Jim.

"I see you're just blindly standing by Pam as always," said Angela. "When are you going to grow a pair?"

"C'mon, guys," said Oscar. "None of us lost out jobs. Why don't we just let this go and move on?" Oscar had been a little angry at Andy for not coming forward, but his heart had been in the right place. Besides, Andy may have been a little crazy sometimes, but when it came down too it he was a good friend.

"Oscar's right," said Darryl.

"That's easy for you to say," said Stanley. "_You're_ not on commission."

"What if they cut my position to keep costs down?" asked Kevin.

"Look, we just need to focus on doing our jobs the best we can," said Jim.

"I don't think we have anything more to say to these people," said Meredith. She turned her chair so that she was facing away from Jim, Pam, and Darryl. The rest of the group followed suite with Oscar giving them an apologetic look.

########### $$$$$$$$$$$$ %%%%%%%%%%%%

Sasha, Erin's gray, white, and gold cat jumped on to her lap demanding attention. She scratched behind Sasha's ears as the cat purred. Sasha demanded attention when she wanted it and ignored Erin the rest of the time. The cat was not unlike everyone else who had ever been a part of her life—with the exception of Andy. Kelly was supposed to be her best friend. She's often demand that Erin hang out with her, unless Ryan wanted a night alone. They'd go to the mall as Kelly shopped for clothes Erin couldn't afford. Kelly had also dragged her to a midnight showing of _New Moon_ when Erin had been tired and never particularly cared for the Twilight series. Only a few months earlier Kelly had refused to see _Half Blood Prince_ saying that Harry Potter was lame and for nerds.

Erin had never complained about her often one-sided friendship with Kelly. Just about every relationship in her life had been one-sided. She was an orphan who had no right to complain, right? Andy had been different. He'd ask Erin what she wanted to do and always took her feelings into consideration. She didn't know how to deal with that. She realized for the first time that she loved him. Maybe it was the pain she felt watching other people treat him so cruelly. She could take people being cruel to her, but watching others treat Andy so poorly was just too much. After reading the note Andy had given her three weeks earlier when he'd first discovered that the printers had caught fire, Erin knew that Andy loved her too. It felt good, but it also frightened her. She was afraid of letting him down.

A knock at the door caused Erin to jump. Sasha fell out of her lap and gave her an annoyed look. Erin got up and opened the door. Andy stood on her porch looking concerned.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. "What's going on?"

Unable to speak, Erin held up the note. Andy looked at it with a puzzled expression before recognition dawned at a blush climbed up his face. "Oh, you read it?"

"Look, I'm sorry, I know you told me not to read it unless something happened to you…do you mean it?" asked Erin.

Andy swallowed and cleared his throat. "Every word."

Erin threw her arms around his neck and started to sob on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry I freaked out over Angela, you didn't deserve that. I just…have issues…lot's and lots of issues."

Andy wrapped his arms around her and began to stroke her hair. "That's alright. I've got plenty of issues of my own." He gently pulled out of the hug so that they were looking each other in the eyes and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Want to do something?"

"What?"

"Anything," said Andy. "We could go to a pet store and look at cute puppies, take a walk in the park, see the new Shrek movie…I don't care, I just want to spend some time with you and get my mind off work."

Erin nodded. "Sounds great!" she said with a smile.

Andy's phone rang. "Jim?"

"_Hey Andy," _said Jim.

"What's going on?" asked Andy.

"_Pam, Darryl, and I just ran into Meredith, Stanley, Phyllis, Angela, and Kevin at MacGuffy's and they weren't too happy with you."_

"What else is new?" asked Andy.

"_Just watch yourself at work. They aren't ready to let this who whistle blowing thing go."_

Andy looked at Erin and smiled. "I think I can deal with whatever they dish out."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Andy waited in Erin's living room as she changed into jeans and a tee shirt. Work clothes were not the best thing to wear on a night out wandering aimlessly around Scranton. Andy noticed a catalog for Lackawanna College's writing program and picked it up. Erin had once mentioned writing children's stories about animals she'd come across as a child. Andy picked up the brochure and began flipping through the pages.

"Ready?" asked Erin cheerfully as she came out of her bedroom wearing a tee shirt with the Hogwarts emblem on it and a pair of loose jeans.

Andy jumped and dropped the catalog on the couch. Erin noticed it and blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snoop," said Andy.

Erin shrugged. "It's alright. I sort of signed up for a summer writing class."

"That's awesome!" said Andy with a grin. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks," said Erin. "No time like the present, right?"

Andy picked up the catalog and pointed to a schedule. "Are you enrolled in the Tuesday-Thursday Evening class?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, there's a music club I was thinking about joining that meets near campus at the same. Maybe I could give you a ride to class, go to the meeting and we could hang out afterward and just unwind."

"I'd like that," said Erin. "But why are you joining a music club now?"

"I've just had the urge recently to get involved in things that have nothing to do with Dunder Mifflin or the people there—present company accepted of course." He added hastily.

"I think I understand that," said Erin. Her co-workers had a tendency to make her feel bad about herself, even if it was unintentional in some cases.

"Maybe," said Andy hopefully. "We could find something to get involved in together. It would be fun."

"What sort of thing do you have in mind?" asked Erin.

"We can figure that out later," said Andy as he gestured to the door and Erin walked with him. "It just has to be something that has nothing to do with work.

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"There you are," said Jim as he entered the garage carrying a freshly changed Cecilia.

"Hey," said Pam.

"Are you alright?" asked Jim as he noticed his wife's melancholic expression.

"I was just wondering why I couldn't finish art school," said Pam.

"Because you work with your hands rather than having a computer do all the work," said Jim.

"I guess," said Pam.

"Why take some art classes this summer," Jim suggested.

"When am I going to find time to do that between work and Cece?" asked Pam.

"Well, it's only one or two nights a week and you're not her only parent," Jim reminded her.

"I can't leave all that on you," said Pam.

"You're not leaving anything on me," Jim insisted. "Besides, if our situation was reversed, you'd do the same for me."

"You can't play the whole 'you'd do it for me' card," Pam pouted. "That's not fair."

"Who says I have to play fair?" replied Jim with a mischievous smirk as he habitually looked to the side as though a member of the camera crew was filming in his home. He blushed as Pam laughed and he realized that there were no cameras present. "C'mon Pam, take a class this summer, see how you like it, and we'll take it from there."

########### %%%%%%%%% &&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Seriously," said Michael. "You should join my improvisation class. You could improvisate circles around the other losers there."

Holly laughed. "I'll think about it."

############ %%%%%%%%%%% ^^^^^^^ &&&&&&

"Erin?" Erin turned to see Pam standing a few feet away holding an art portfolio.

"Pam? Hi. Are you taking a class here?" asked Erin.

"Yep, Jim talked me into it. I've always wanted to be an artist."

"Well your paintings are really good," said Erin.

"Thanks," said Pam. She appreciated the compliment even if Erin wasn't the most critical person on the planet. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Are you taking a class too?"

"Um, yes."

"Really? Which one?"

Erin nervously flicked at the spiral on the side of her notebook. "Look, don't tell anyone at work…I guess you could tell Jim, but don't tell anyone else okay?"

"Your secret's safe, Erin," Pam assured her with an encouraging smile.

"I'm taking a fiction writing class."

"Really? That's cool. What kind of stories do you want to write?"

"Something for kids going through tough situations; Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary got me through a lot in the foster homes."

"Not JK Rowling?"

"Pam, Harry Potter didn't come out until we were legally adults, but I've read all seven books about fifty times."

"I can't wait to read your stories."

"Thanks, I can't wait to see more of your art." Erin looked at her watch. "Oh poop! I'm running late!"

Pam laughed as Erin turned to head down the hallway. She found the fact that Erin never swore somewhat endearing. "Erin!" she called. Erin turned around.

"Yes?"

"Don't let the people at work get you down."

Erin smiled. "You either." She started walking again.

"And Erin?"

"Pam?"

"It's good to see you and Andy back together."

"Thanks."

################### %%%%%%%%%%% &&&&

"Hi, I'm Holly Flax. You must be Erin. I remember you from the company picnic last year."

Erin looked up and smiled. She noticed Holly carrying a box that looked heavy. "Let me help you with that." She ran around her desk and grabbed the box. Holly glanced around the office and felt a surge of discomfort as she saw several employees giving her dirty looks. Jim, Pam, and Andy gave her welcoming smiles while Dwight continued with his work. Phyllis, Angela, and Meredith glared at her as though they wished his nothing but ill, while Stanley gave her an annoyed glance.

"Hey, there she is. The greatest human resource rep ever!" said Michael as he came out of his office.

"Well if it isn't the greatest manager Dunder-Mifflin has ever seen!" replied Holly in a cartoonish voice, earning eye rolls from several employees. They resented the fact that she had returned, suspecting that Michael had made some sort of deal with Jo Bennett. They had resented Michael in general lately for not giving Andy, Pam, Darryl and Kelly any sort of punishment for their whistle blowing. Andy, Pam, and Darryl had been on the receiving end of some very harsh treatment that the staff had been too scared to give Kelly due to her place in Sabre's "Print in all Colors" Initiative.

"I'll just take this box back to the Annex," said Erin as she headed back.

"Maybe you and Holly should form a club!" Kevin hissed as Erin passed him.

"Huh?"

"Huh?" Kevin mimicked cruelly. "You both like to tease guys like me then move on to goof ball losers like Michael and Andy."

"Here, here!" said Angela.

Erin fought the urge to retort. She had never giving Kevin any deliberate encouragement and doubted Holly ever had either. As for Angela, well…Erin just kept walking as Oscar gave her an apologetic look.

"Hi Toby," said Erin as she reached the Annex and set Holly's box down on her new desk.

"Looks like Holly's here."

"Yep! By the way, congrats on your promotion," said Erin.

"Thanks," Toby replied. He was somewhat relieved to be leaving the Scranton office after all the tension lately. He'd be the coordinating human resource manage for the north east branches.

"Can I ask you a question, Erin?"

"Sure."

"What haven't you been filing any complaints about other staff members?"

Erin shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"It just seems like everyone in this office has been filing complaints left and right except the hand full of people with legitimate reasons to do so."

"What would be the point?" asked Erin.

"Some of the stuff people are putting you, Andy, Jim, Pam, and Darryl through is borderline harassment."

"I guess we're just waiting for it to blow over."

"I hope it does for your sake," said Toby skeptically.

########### %%%%%%%%%%% &&&&&&&&

"I love this," said Andy as he read from Erin's notebook.

"You're biased!" said Erin.

"I'm completely impartial when it comes to literature!" said Andy. "But seriously you should look into getting this published." He gave her a quick, soft kiss on the lips.

"Ugh! Get a room, will you?" Jim teased. He and Pam were sitting at a near by table in the break room, which was completely empty except for the two couples. Erin would not have been reading her stories with Andy otherwise. Normally Jim liked to interact with his co-workers as little as possible, but most of the rest of the staff had been trying to make his life miserable for the past several weeks and Pam had a personal interest in Andy and Erin's relationship. They were a little off, but at least they weren't vindictive like certain other office workers.

"Maybe we will," Andy replied in mock anger. "C'mon, Erin, it's clear we're not wanted here!" Andy took Erin's hand and led her through the hallway to the supply closet.

"What are we doing here?" asked Erin with a grin.

"Making out, of course!" said Andy as he pulled her into an intense kiss.

"Andy, we're at work," Erin giggled as he ran his lips down her neck.

"This is purely for business purposes," said Andy as his nuzzled her shoulder. "My sales always go up after make out sessions with my beautiful girlfriend. It's a scientific fact."

"Well if it'll help you sales…" Erin began to brush her lips across Andy's forehead and moved down his face until meeting his lips again.

"Oh my god! What do you two think you're doing? This is completely unacceptable!" Angela shrieked as she entered the supply closet to get some calculator paper.

Andy and Erin glared at Angela. Who was she to tell anyone what was and wasn't acceptable behavior.

################ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ %%%%%%%%%

"Gabe, why should they get away with that just because they're a couple of Michael's favorites!"

"Shouldn't you be taking this matter to Holly?" asked Gabe nervously. Since the Cookie monster incident, he had no desire to get involved in office conflicts. He especially did not want certain employees' trivial complaints to cause problems.

"She'll just take their side! She lets them get away with everything!"

"I don't think Andy and Erin are trying to get away with anything. They were on a break and I'm sure if you told them it makes you uncomfortable they'll stop."

"What is the point of you being here if you're not going to take my complaints seriously?"

############## $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ %%%%%%%%%

"Dunder-Mifflin Sabre, this is Erin."

"Hi, I'd like to speak to Andrew Bernard," said a male voice over the phone.

"Sure," said Erin. "May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Al Mars of Wilkes-Barre Party supplies."

"Alright, Mr. Mars, I'll connect you right away!" said Erin cheerfully. She put the call on hold and dialed Andy's extension.

Andy saw the front desk number on his caller id, grinned, and picked up the phone. "How may I help you, my Secretary of Love?" Stanley groaned and rolled his eyes.

"There's an Al Mars of Wilkes-Barre Party supplies on the line for you, Mr. Bernard," said Erin with a giggle.

"Alright, put him on through, my little snap dragon." Erin transferred the call. Andy took the call and closed the sale on his fifth new client of the week. When he finished logging the order he asked in a voice that was almost a whisper: "Out of curiosity, Mr. Mars, why did you ask for me?"

"Well, Mr. Bernard, you client Sam Oliver is a personal friend of mine. He told me how well you handled his concern about the printers catching fire. Well, with all of the dishonest people in the world, I like dealing with as many honest people as possible."

"Thank you Mr. Mars, It'll be a pleasure doing business with you."

Phyllis glared at Andy and stood up so quickly she caused Andy to jump. She stalked over to the receptionist desk. "You can't just send all the new clients to Andy because you're sleeping with him!" Phyllis' voiced carried to both Michael's and Darryl's offices as well as the Annex. Michael, Darryl, and Holly all came out to see what the commotion was about.

"W-what?"

"Don't try to play the naïve little orphan," said Phyllis viciously.

"Hey, watch it!" said Andy as his stood up to confront Phyllis.

"What is going on?" asked Michael.

"Erin's been sending all the new clients to Andy," Phyllis accused.

"They've been asking for him," said Erin.

"Why the hell would new clients be asking for one of the worst salesmen in the company?" Phyllis demanded. "Maybe we should check your story out."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," said Holly.

"No, Holly, it's alright," said Erin who was on the verge of tears. "The phone company probably has a recording of the calls or you can just call the clients and ask them."

"That's not necessary," said Michael. "I believe you, Erin."

"Of course you believe her," said Phyllis. "She's one of your little pets!"

"That's enough!" said Michael angrily. "Everyone get back to work."

"Michael, Holly, I need to talk to both of you in private," said Gabe.

_An: I've always liked Phyllis, but she was unnecessarily mean to Andy in the season finale._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Michael, this can't continue," said Gabe as he shut the door to Michael's office.

"Look, I know that things seem disparaging now, but this will all blow over," said Michael.

"Will it?" asked Holly. "Look, Michael, I know you like to hope for the best when it comes to your employees, but this office is becoming a hostile environment for several people; you and me included."

"Look, just give me a little more time. Scranton didn't become the best branch in the company by rules and discipline."

Gabe sighed. "You have two weeks, Michael. If this situation gets to corporate, people could get fired."

"Don't worry," said Michael as he glanced at some reports on his desk. "I have a plan. I just need the right time to execute it."

######## $$$$$$$$$ %%%%%%%% ^^^^ &&&

"Just promise you won't tell anyone about this place," said Pam to Andy and Erin. "The warehouse workers need it to take short naps sometimes and that could lose some much needed rest if the wrong people find out about it."

"Sure," said Erin.

"No problem," said Andy.

Jim and Pam had decided to show Andy and Erin the secret napping place in the warehouse. They decided to have lunch there to get away from the constant glaring from certain coworkers. They had wanted to spend time alone together, but couldn't in good conscience leave Andy and Erin at the mercy of everyone else. Michael and Holly at least had the solitude of Michael's office or the annex at lunch time. Besides, there was no way Michael could or would keep the secret.

"Ah, peaceful solitude," said Jim at the four of them climbed into the loft.

"Sweet little hideout they have here," said Andy.

"I like it," said Jim. He spread a table cloth for the sandwiches and other lunch items.

"So when did you start reading Jane Austen," Pam asked Erin. She had recently discovered that Erin liked Jane Austen novels as well and could never resist discussing classic literature.

"Uh-oh, here we go. Women and Jane Austen, this can only mean trouble," said Jim jokingly to Andy.

"I kind of like watching my girlfriend enjoying something," said Andy as he put his arm around Erin's shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"You'd better watch it, Halpert! Andy's kicking your ass in the attentive boyfriend department," said Pam.

"Well, it's not exactly fair, is it?" asked Jim. "I mean, we're married."

"Don't worry, Jim, when Erin and I get married I'll still kick your ass fair and square," said Andy. An awkward silence fell over the group. Andy nervously cleared his throat while Erin fidgeted with the Dijon mustard jar. In truth Andy had thought about one day marrying Erin long before he'd mustered the courage to ask her out. He's wanted their first date to be perfect so he'd have a good story to tell their children. Speaking the words out loud, even if he was joking around with Jim really caused the reality to hit him. He wasn't sure how Erin felt about the subject and didn't want to risk scaring her away by bringing it up. Despite the fact that they'd been together for a very short time, Andy was certain he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"This kind of looks like one of Dwight's shirts," said Erin holding up the mustard jar.

"Good call," said Pam and the group began shaking with laughter. "Anyway, Erin, when did you start reading Austen?"

"After I finished the first four Harry Potter book and was waiting for _Order of the Phoenix _to come out. I read that JK Rowling's favorite book was _Emma_, found the entire volume at a bargain book store and read it."

"Which one's your favorite?"

"_Northanger Abbey." _Erin replied. "It's a good thing her brother got it published."

"Why is _Northanger Abbey,_ of all books your favorite?" asked Pam.

"You don't think it should be?" asked Erin.

"No, it's not that," said Pam. "It's just not at the top of most people's list."

"Oh, well I just like Henry Tilney the best out of all of Austen's men. He's funny, smart, and really nice. I like Catherine too, she tries to see the good in people."

"Those are valid reasons," said Pam.

"What about you? Which book is your favorite, Pam?"

"Persuasion, I guess," said Pam.

"I wonder if Jane Austen was in love with someone when she was younger and turned down his proposal or something," said Erin. "Maybe Persuasion was what she wished could have happened."

"That's pretty insightful," Pam complimented.

"Dwight, you still owe me three more sessions!" Angela's voice carried.

"Oh shit, not now!" said Jim in a panicked whisper as he glanced at Andy and Erin. They were the last people on the planet who needed to hear what was about to happen, but the group couldn't move while Dwight and Angela were around or they risked exposing the warehouse workers' hiding place.

"Here," said Pam pulling two ipods out of her bag and handing them to Andy and Erin. "Listen to some music." They took the ipods and gave Pam a grateful look.

"Angela, we agreed, no kissing!" came Dwight's irritated voice.

Erin put her head on Andy's shoulder and took his hand in hers. Jim and Pam covered their ears in attempt to block the noise. Pam looked at Andy who had an impassive expression on his face. Erin looked extremely annoyed, something Jim and Pam thought they'd never see.

########## %%%%%%%% ^^^^^^^^ &&&&&&&&&&

"Alright," said Holly as she unfolded the pieces of paper and read them. "We have to be _pirates, lolligagging, _on _Mars, _in the style of _Yoda. _How many Yodas did you put into that container, Michael?"

"Ten or fifteen," Michael replied matter-of-factly. "There can never be enough Yoda. Kick their asses tonight, we will."

"I think we've practiced enough," said Holly. "We really need to figure out what to do about the situation here. It's only getting worse. What if Jim, Pam, Andy, Erin, or Darryl quits?"

"That's not going to happen."

"Well, what if _I _quit?"

"What?"

"I mean it, Michael. It's been really difficult for me. I know it's my job, but I'm just not sure how much longer I can handle it. I really hate dreading coming to work every day."

"Look, Holly, I really do have a plan. It won't be like this much longer, I promise."

############## ************ $$$$$$$$$

"Erin, I need you to fax this and get me the confirmation," said Andy as he handed her his latest sales order.

"No problem," said Erin as took the form and loaded it onto the fax machine. Andy pulled out a small book.

"I need a noun," he whispered.

"Mandrake," Erin whispered back.

"Cool, now an adjective."

"Hmmmm…bumbling."

"And a verb."

"Googling."

"Wow! That's original, Andy," Angela sneered as she walked past the receptionist desk. "This is nothing special, Erin. He used to play the same game with me when we went out."

"No he didn't," said Erin taking the book from Andy and showing Angela the picture of Richard Nixon on the front. "That was Mad Libs, this is Word Up. It has famous political speeches and historical documents. It's a much cooler game and my vocabulary isn't limited to 'nice' and 'cat food!"'

Andy grinned at Erin and squeezed her hand. Angela had been making snide comments trying to undermine his relationship with Erin for weeks. Erin wasn't taking the bait. Angela seemed to have the unique honor of being the first person Erin Hannon had met that she truly disliked.

Dwight smirked at his desk. His once high regard for Angela Martin had seriously diminished in recent months. Angela noticed Dwight's reaction. She walked toward the island he shared with Jim and Pam. "What is it about the receptionist desk that inspired so much whorish behavior? I suppose it's only a matter of time before there's another bastard baby in this office," she said loudly. Oscar and Kevin looked up from their desks at accounting while Phyllis and Stanley glanced up from their sales calls. Creed continued playing solitaire on his computer while Meredith rolled her eyes.

"What did you say?" asked Pam.

"You heard me," said Angela. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: a baby _conceived_ out of wedlock is still a bastard."

"Don't call Cece that!" said Pam.

"Can we let this go and get back to work," said Jim attempting to keep the situation from escalating.

"Why not? It's the truth," Angela retorted, ignoring Jim.

"Shut up, Angela!" said Erin.

"Excuse me?"

"I told you to shut up," said Erin. "You're the last person who should call anyone else whorish. At least Pam would never cheat on Jim and I'd never cheat on Andy! Neither of us would enter some weird child conceiving contract. That's just plain sick, Angela!"

The rest of the office was in a stunned silent trance except for Creed who was still focused on his Solitaire game and Dwight who was quite unfazed. Angela glared at Pam and Erin then stormed back to her desk taking note of Erin's notebook labeled "stories" as she passed reception.

######## $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ %%%%%%%% &&&&&&&

_AN: I often can't help comparing other fictional characters to those created by Jane Austen. I've always seen Erin as someone between Harriet Smith and Catherine Moreland. She's a little clueless and does whatever Kelly tells her like Harriet Smith with Emma and is very naïve but always happy to meet new people and occasionally very insightful like Catherine Moreland (and she likes a guy with a sense of humor.) Pam is probably the most like Anne Elliot in that she turned down Jim when he first admitted his feelings for her and spent a long time regretting it until he realized he'd never love anyone as much as her and asked her out, like when Captain Wentworth was extremely hurt when Anne turned down his proposal, but realized he did not want to marry anyone but her in the end._

_How did Erin know about the baby contract between Angela and Dwight? Well, for the purpose of this story, Isabelle told Pam and Pam told Erin. It's in a deleted scene. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Why don't we rent a movie tonight?" Michael asked Holly as they left improve class.

"I don't know," said Holly. She wanted to spend more time with Michael. She wanted the romance back in their relationship, but was afraid if it started again, they'd be forced to end it suddenly. Michael shared the same fear, though neither had ever spoken about it. He felt slightly hypocritical after telling Erin to not waste any time getting back together with Andy, but his situation with Holly was different, right?

"C'mon, it'll be fun. No pressure, no expectations. Just a couple of old friends hanging out, what do you say?"

"Well, when you put it that way I have to say yes, don't I?"

"That's the spirit!" said Michael. "How about _It's Complicated_?"

"I don't know, Meryl Streep always makes me feel inferior," said Holly. "What about 'The Hangover'?"

############# %%%%%%%%%%%%%%% &&&&&&

"We've seen 'Blades of Glory' too many times, I think," said Andy.

Erin nodded and picked up a copy of _Dan in Real Life. _"How about this?"

"Maybe," said Andy. "I'll think about it."

"What's to think about?" asked Erin. "We love this movie."

"True, but it always makes us cry," said Andy. "I'm not sure I feel like crying tonight."

"Well, we haven't seen this one yet," said Erin as she held up a copy of _Away We Go._

"No we haven't," said Andy. "No time like the present." Truth be told, Andy felt tempted at least once a day to take Erin on a road trip and just disappear from Scranton without a word to anyone, at least at the office.

"Hi Pam," said Erin as Pam turned down the comedy isle.

"Oh, Hey Erin; how was class tonight?"

"Good. Yours?"

"Not bad," Pam replied. "Jim and I decided to rent a movie tonight."

"How about this one?" asked Erin holding up the copy of _Dan in Real Life._

"Perfect, I haven't seen it yet," said Pam taking the DVD. She was eager to get home, check on Cece, and relax with Jim.

"Yech!" said Michael as he got in line behind Pam and Erin. "Why does that guy have his head on a pile of pancakes? That's just...gross."

"Oh, hey Michael," said Pam. She noticed that he was holding a copy of _The Hangover. _"Look who's talking, that movie has a gross out scene every two seconds."

"It's a classic," Michael protested.

&&&&&&& *************** #################### ^^^^^^^^ %%%%%%%%

Holly sat at Michael's computer watching and old Colbert Report clip as he made some coffee for them. As funny as _The Hangover_ was, the wedding at end still made things awkward; especially when Michael mentioned that he had often wanted to say similar things to Jan when they got to the part where Stu finally told off Melissa.

"Here you go," said Michael handing Holly a mug. "Best coffee on the planet."

"Decaff, right?"

"Of course!" Michael pulled up a chair and looked at the computer screen. "I remember when we followed the election on Comedy Central."

"Well, it is the only cable network with any sanity even if it is fake news," said Holly. "Look, about today-"

"Please don't leave," Michael begged. "I don't want to lose you again."

Holly felt her stomach do a flip flop. Michael still loved her. She, of course still loved him, but speaking the words terrified her. "I don't want to leave, but the tension in the office has to stop. Do you really have a plan?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Let's just say that I've learned some information that will put a stop to everything."

"What information?"

"Please don't ask," Michael begged. "It's really hard for me to keep secrets and I promised Jo I wouldn't tell. But trust me, this is good."

"Alright," said Holly as she brushed Michael's disheveled hair off his forehead. Without thinking she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. She lingered for a few moments and abruptly pulled back. "Sorry I—" she began but was cut off as Michael pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her back.

################### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &&&&&&&&&&&&& %%%%%%%%%%

"Those are looking pretty good," said Jim as he peered over Pam's shoulder as her latest sketch of a horse.

"I was thinking about showing these to Erin tomorrow," said Pam.

"She'll love them," said Jim.

"You don't think she'll think I'm trying to get in on the action or something?" asked Pam.

"This is Erin we're talking about," said Jim as he burped Cecelia. "She doesn't think anything bad about anyone...Except for Angela, but who can blame her there. Besides, her writing inspired you to draw those wonderful pictures. She'll be flattered."

Andy woke up and saw the credits rolling across his TV screen. _Darn it! I fell asleep again._ He noticed Erin sleeping with her head on his shoulder. "Hey Snapdragon, wake up the movie's over," he whispered as he gently nudged her. Andy had made a conscious effort to avoid calling Erin any of the pet names he had wasted on Angela.

"Mmmmmmm," Erin groaned as she opened her eyes a fraction of an inch and closed them again.

"Well I guess I'll just have to carry you up to bed," he smiled as he gently brushed his lips across her forehead.

"What are you working on?" Holly asked Erin as she entered the break room and opened the refrigerator to get some creamer for her coffee.

"Nothing, just writing down some ideas," said Erin as she sat at the table writing in her notebook. She's been doing the ten pages a day challenge from her instructor. The idea was to finish the first draft of a novel in a month. Some days were certainly much easier than others.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Holly.

"Sure, no problem," said Erin.

"Good," said Holly. "We really haven't gotten much of a chance to know each other."

"There's not really much to know about me," said Erin who had recently grown an aversion to talking about herself, fearing that she'd annoy people and leave a bad impression.

Holly decided not to push the subject. Michael had told her about the fact that Erin had grown up in foster homes. "You and Andy seem very happy."

"We are," said Erin. "He's pretty much my best friend as well as my boyfriend."

"He's a good person," said Holly. "He's one of the few people in this office who was always nice to me when I was here before."

"Really?" asked Erin. "Why would people be mean to you? You're a really nice person."

"You're sweet," said Holly. "I guess it was just that I was new and the people in this office don't react well to new people."

"Tell me about it," said Erin. "Once Stanley and Meredith acted like I was trying to get Pam fired when I was just trying to make conversation with them. They even said that no one would ever like me as much as Pam."

"What!" said Holly. "Why would anyone think that you of all people were trying to get anyone fired? You're always so friendly and cheerful."

"I guess it's just easier that way. I know what people really think of me, what they've thought of me all my life…"

"Erin," said Holly as she squeezed Erin's hand. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I have Andy. I'm fine."

############# %%%%%%%%%%%%

Angela noticed Erin's notebook sitting out as she walked past the receptionist desk. She looked to see Erin in Michael's office taking notes. The door was closed. An evil smirk spread across her face. She grabbed the notebook and took it to the break room where Stanley, Kevin, Oscar, Phyllis, Meredith and Creed were eating lunch.

"Hey everyone, look at this. It seems our receptionist had been writing little stories," said Angela as she held up Erin's notebook.

"Oooh, let me see," said Kevin. Angela handed him the book and he began reading. The others looked over his shoulder. Stanley began laughing.

"Why is that girl talking to a pony?" he asked. "That is the stupidest think I've ever heard."

"Aw, the pony's her only friend," said Kevin mockingly.

"I always knew Erin was weird," said Meredith.

"Guys, let's put that away," said Oscar.

"Why are you always such a buzzkill, Oscar?" asked Meredith.

"I just don't think Erin wanted anyone to read that," said Oscar.

"Then she shouldn't have left it sitting out," said Angela.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ***************

Erin headed back to her desk to fax the documents Michael had prepared for corporate. After she got the confirmation she turned around and noticed that her note book wasn't where she remembered l leaving it. She began frantically searching through the desk causing Andy, Jim, and Pam to look up.

"Erin, what's wrong?" asked Holly.

"My notebook's missing," said Erin as she clutched her hair.

"I'm sure it's around here somewhere," said Holly as she put a calming hand on Erin's shoulder. "I'll help you look." Erin nodded.

"Ryan, have you seen a teal notebook with _Harry Potter _stickers on it," asked Erin as Ryan passed by. "I can't find mine."

"No," said Ryan. "But I did see Angela grab something off your desk and head to the break room."

The color drained from Erin's face. She turned and started running to the break room. Andy, Jim, and Pam exchanged nervous glances, stood up and followed. "Erin, did you get the confirmation?" asked Michael as he poked his head out the office. "Where is everyone going?"

Holly gestured for Michael to follow.

When Erin entered the break room she saw to her horror that several of her co-workers were reading her story out loud and laughing. "Give that back!" she demanded.

"What's the matter, couldn't you find any human friends as a kid?" asked Angela.

Erin went to take the notebook from Kevin, but he held it out of her reach.

"Knock it off before I start kicking some ass!" Andy yelled angrily.

"I'd like to see you try, trust fund baby," Phyllis mocked.

"Alright, that's enough," Michael shouted as he entered the break room. Everyone jumped. They had never seen him that furious. "Kevin, give Erin back her notebook."

Kevin looked at Erin and noticed she was crying. He held out the notebook. "Erin, it was just a joke."

Erin snatched the book, glared at Kevin wordlessly and stormed out of the break room. Andy shot everyone an angry look of his own and followed her.

"Everyone in the conference room right now," said Michael. He wasn't yelling, but there was a serious undertone in his voice that people didn't dare hesitate to follow his orders.

"Jim, Pam: go do some cold calling with Andy. Have Erin go with you to take some notes."

Jim and Pam nodded wordlessly and left the room. Michael glanced at Holly and headed toward the conference room.


End file.
